Journal box lid



June-16, 1953 A. QBUCKIUS JOURNAL B,ox LID 2 sheetshshae]c l Filed Aug.19, 1948 Jne 16, 1953` AQ o. BucKlus JOURNAL BOX LID 2 sheets-sheet 2Filed Aug. 19, 1948 INVENTOR. Albert 0. uclz'us Patented June 16, 1953joFFlcE JOURNAL BOX LID Alberi o. Buckius, Cleveland, ohio, assigner toNational Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application August 19, 1.948, Serial No. 45,125

This invention relatesA to railway journal boxes and-.more particularlyto a lid for'closing the opening in the front end of the journal box.

It is the main object of my invention to provide a new and improved lidfor a journal box, inwhich the force for holding the lidin closedposition is applied at the central portion thereof.

Another object is to provide a journal box lid having a ball and socketconnection between the closure member and hood member thereof and alsohaving means at the connection .for limiting relative angling of themembers.

A further object isto provide a journal box lid in which the closuremember is connected to a hood member for universal movement relativethereto and in which stop means is located adjacent the connection tolimit this movement to facilitate opening and closing the lid.

A still further object is the provision of a lid f.

having a relatively large ball and socket union at the centerv of thelid for effecting a closing pressure on the closure member thereof, theclosure member and hood member being Vtied together at the ball andsocket union by a strap which additionally serves to limit the relativemovement between the members to facilitate opening and closing of thelid.

My invention also contemplates a channe structure in the hood member ofthe lid for receiving a strap which, in addition to tying the hoodmember to a closure member, vcooperates with the channel structure torestrict relative angling between the hood and closure members.

Other objects andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with thek drawf ings inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a lid embodying the inventionapplied to ajournal box.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the lid shown in Fig. 1, thedot-dash lines illustrating the open position of the lid.

Fig. 3 is a partial view in vertical section showing the method ofdisconnecting the lid from the journal box. l

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the lid shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the lid.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a journal box I having a irontopening II `fork `At the lower end of hood I is a ball portion` I9 whichis joined to the chambered portion Il by means of spaced legs A and aconnecting 5 Claims. (Cl. 308-47 Web 2l. Closure member I6 is generallyin the shape of aiiat plate andhas a spherical depression 22. in thevcenterthereof for receiving ball portion I9 of the hood. The hood .and

` closure membervare, at the ball and socket conclosure memberY toadjust itself on the face of l the box.

Adjacent the sides ofv strap .23, legs 20 are formed with upstandingguide flanges 21 which serve to limit relative anglingrbetween the memybers in the plane of the closure member. Itv will be observed that web2| in conjunction with langesZI forms a vertically extendingchannelportion for receiving strap 23 and restricting the movement thereofduring opening and closing of the lid. Movement of the closure member ina direction normal to its plane is limited by the engagement between theunderside of strap portion 25 and web 2l of the hood member. Thus itwill be seenthat the closure member., while flexibly connected to thehood to permit the lid to adjust itself so as to assure tight engagementof the closure member with the box about opening II, is securely held bycauses it to pivot about its contact with ther Y box at the upper end ofthe opening I I until the` underside yofstrap portion 25 engages theupper portion of web 2 I, after which the closure memf ber and hood actas an integral member and pivot about hinge pin I3 to open position ofthe lid, as vshown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2. When a force is appliedto the end of the closure member at 24 toL close the lid, the closuremember first angles relativelyzto the hood about the ball y and socketjoint until the inner end 29 of the closure memberengages the adjacentportion of the hood, after which the parts pivot about pin .I3 as anintegral member to closed position. A torsion spring 35 carried in thecharnbered portion of the hood provides the closing force against thelid. This spring contains a loop portionV 3l on which is mounted aroller 39 which travels on surfaces 4I and i3 of the hinge lug v duringopening and closing of the lid. Extending from loopr portion 3T are coilportions 45 which bear against arcuate portions '47 of hood I5. Theyspring terminates.v in a pair 4of leg portions 49 which extend throughopenings 50 in the hood member andbear against legs 20 of the hood. Leg

strap 2,3 to facilitate opening and closing the l of the box withsubstantially equal pressure on the contacting surfaces.

To disconnect the lid from the box the lid is pulled partly open tocompress the spring suiciently to permit a U-shaped pin 52 to beinserted into openings 53 in the upperv end of theV hood, with the legsof the pin adjacent the loop portion 31 of the spring. The spring isthereby retained under compression within the hood, and the lid israised further until it is in approximately horizontal position afterwhich pin I3 may be withdrawn and the lid removed from the box.

The lid is applied to the box by applying the preceding steps ofdisassembly in reverse order. The spring of a new lid is initiallycompressed by means of a press or other suitable device and the U-shapedpin inserted into the hood to hold the spring compressed.

I'he terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the useof such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize thatvarious modications are possible within the scope of the inventionclaimed.

What I claim is:

1. A lid for closing the front opening of a railway journal box, saidlid comprising a closure member and a hood member flexibly connectedtogether, a spring terminating in a pair of leg portions engaging saidhood member whereby the closing force of said spring acts directlyagainst said hood member, said hood member having means at its upper endfor pivotal connection to said box and having a pair of spaced legs witha channel portion connecting the lower ends of said legs, said channelportion having a ball portion facing said closure member, said closuremember having a centrally disposed socket for receiving said ballportion to provide for universal movement between said members, saidball portion engaging said socket and serving to transmit the closingforce of said spring from said hood member to said closure member, a-ndstrap means received in and bridging said channel portion and beingsecured to said closure member, said channel portion comprisingupstanding ilanges extending lengthwise of said strap means and beingdisposed adjacent the sides of said strap means for engaging therewithto limit relative angling between said members in the plane of saidclosure member. Y

2. A lid for closing the front opening of a railway journal box, saidlid comprising a closure member and a hood member flexibly connected tosaid closure member, said hood member having means at its upper end forpivotal connection to said box and having a ball portion facing saidclosure member, said closure member having a socket for receiving saidball portion to permit universal movement of said closure memberrelative to said hood member, said ball portion being in engagement withsaid socket, a strap bridging said ball portion and being secured tosaid closure member, and stop means extending from said ball portiontoward said pivotal means and interposed between said strap and saidclosure member, said stop means being adapted to engage said strap at apoint remote from said ball portion during opening of said lid to limitrelative movement between said hood and closure members.

3. A lid for closing the front opening of a railway journal box, saidlid having a hood member, a closure member and a spring having legportions reacting directly against said hood member for maintaining saidlid in closed position, said hood member comprising an upper end adaptedfor pivotal connection to a journal box, a ball portion disposed so asto be substantially central of said closure member and facing thelatter, and a web extending from said ball portion toward the upper endof said hood member, said closure member having a socket for receivingsaid ball portion, the spring force being transmitted from said hoodmember to said closure member solely through the engagement of said ballportion in said socket, a strap bridging said ball portion and said weband being secured to said closure mem'- ber, said strap being adapted toengage said web at a substantial distance from said ball portion tolimit angling of said closure member relative vto said hood memberduring opening of said lid.

4. lid for closing the front opening of a rail way Journal box, said lidhaving a hood member, a closure member and a spring having leg por-vtions reacting directly against said hood member for maintaining said'lid in closed position, said hood member comprising a, ball portionfacing said closure member, a pair of upstanding iianges adjacent saidball portion and a web joining said flanges and extending from said ballportion toward the upper end of said hood member, said closure memberhaving a socket for receiving said ball portion, the spring force beingtransmitted from said hood member to said closure member solely throughthe engagement of said ball portion in said socket, a strap disposed-between said flanges and bridging said ball portion and said web andbeing secured to said closure member, said strap being adapted to engagesaid flanges to limit angling of said closure member relative to saidhood member in the plane of saidclosure member, said strap being adaptedto engage said web to limit angling of said closure member rela- 5. Alid for closing the front way `journal box, said lid comprising a hoodmember and a closure member having means comprising a ball and socketconnection therebetween to permit universal movement of said closuremember relative to said hood member, said connection comprising a ballportion on said hood member engaging a socket in said closure membensaidhood member having stop means adjacent said connecting means, and astrap secured to said closure member and overlying said stop means andconnecting means, said strap being adapted to engage said stop means ata point remote from said ball and socket connection to limit movement ofsaid closure member relative to said hood member during opening of saidlid.

ALBERT O. BUCKIUS.

opening of aY rail- References Cited in the le of this patent Aug. 9,1949 1ti1e to said hood member during opening of said so 1

